When I was younger, those postcards were just everywhere like a hype: completely black with the writing "cityname by night". Well, "cityname" of course was a city's name, and you got them everywhere I went for vacation. A fun card, showing the darker side of the town. Or rather not. I don't see them often nowadays, where it is rather some half-naked guy or girl with some city phrase. So, why am I writing about this? Anyways, tonight, syndae visits the darker side of ambient. It is rather recommended, not to listen and drive at the same time. On the other hand, I find this style very interesting and mind absorbing, when you let it take you to its depth. Have a great experience with tracks by Robert Fox (Cathedral), Ashtoreth (Midnight Radio Compilation 84), Perceptual Defense (Wishstone), Eisenlager (The Joy Division), Shock of Daylight (Blood is Sweeter Than Honey), and Winterberg (Le Sacre du Noir).

When you don't know what to talk about, choose the weather as universal topic. It usually does not offend anyone in his or her view or believe, and most people can relate to having good or bad weather. For example, since this week the cold and rainy days finally makes their exit and give space to the sun. Less cloth to wear around, which also means less laundry stacking up in the hamper. Your skin finally gets to consume some vitamin D made by UVB radiation. On the downside, people start running around wearing ridiculous sunglasses and leggings and white socks in brown sandals. Ok, images. Well, the good side is one can enjoy the long evenings outside with some drink and of course beautiful music, like the one we have tonight by Bernd Kistenmacher (Disintegration), Jamuroo & Wolfgang Gsell (From Holy Mountains and Sacred Places), Deep Imagination (Carefully Kept Secrets), Erik Wøllo (Different Spaces), ARC and Peter Challoner (E-Scape 2017).

So this is the week of breaking headphones. First, my listening headphone started to crackle, it's an open Beyerdynamics DT990 which I have for about 15 years. And I thought, well, cannot blame them for slowly giving up. I always have a second one. Well, I had. As right this week my closed-back AKG, which I use for mixing and recording, simply broke on one side. Blimey! So now I am using a portable on-ear headphone for listening and recording. Wonder, what that will do to the show. But, hey, you are here for the music, and I totally have cool stuff for you on the playlist. Brand new releases as well as some that definitely are worth checking out. Fantastic tracks, too, one this new edition, which are by Pyramaxx (Move), Blinky Blinky Computerband (Fractured Sign), Wellenfeld (Ten), Baltes & Erbe (Electric Garden), aAirial (Music for Sunny Days), and Saafi Brothers (The Quality of Being One: Remixes).

So there I was at the garage, waiting for my car being done. A mandatory check up I have to have done every two years. And the mechanic came back with the news that one tire runs bald. I am surely not someone driving a hot wheel. I like it smooth and steady, like the music playlist I choose for longer trips. Well, so I have to get new tires for the car, but this also seals the fate for tonight's edition. Yep, we'll have it smooth and steady. Not too soft, of course, don't want to fall asleep on tour. So lean back and enjoy a wonderful musical trip with Paul Kwitek (Qualia), SineRider (Stay Home), Melorman (Somewhere, Someday), Vanderson (Beyond Time Structure), Jim Black (The Heat), and s_ence feat. snc (See).

In several regions people start looking for their eggs these days, often painted in various colours and hidden at the most awkward places. As a variant, left in natural white to hide them in snow. However, you do not need to start searching as with this edition you already found some gems to please your listening desires. Plain in the open and obviously inheriting from traditional electronic, and either timeless or more modern in style. Also, there are several very interesting events coming up, where you will find Seifert & Steinbüchel (Softlock), Baltes & Erbe (Electric Garden), and Arcane (Tomorrow's Wasteland). But we don't stop there, as we have also really cool new music by Erik Wøllo (Different Spaces), Sequential Dreams (The Infinite Divide), and Eagle (Midnight Raadio Compilation 82).

What I like a lot about ambient music is its great source for images brought to my mind. Usually, this style of music is meant to run in the background, to accompany your being and rather not disturb whatever you do. But actually, it often is really cool and worth listen to very closely and try to detect the sometimes delicate variations and movements in sound. The advice to listen closely definitely applies to tonight's edition, as there always is beauty inside the featured tracks, either clearly and tangible or rather hidden in the details. Best to listen to with headphones, enjoy the tracks by Between Interval (Legacy), Kevin Lyons (Dancers at the End of Time), Lorenzo Montanà (Phase IX), Paul Kwitek, Chris Russell (Labyrinth), Cloudwalk (Forgotten World).

Sometimes, life is stuffed with various events compressed into the shortness of a week. And at the end, I am grateful for each minute I have for taking myself back and relax. Well, thirty minutes do quite well in that regard, and that is what you get tonight. A wonderful mix of new and older tracks, looking forward, looking back. Oh, and then there are the upcoming events run by Stephan Kaske aka Mythos. You will find the dates and locations below, and a nice teaser in the show. Ok, best to listen for yourself, so have fun with tracks by Chris Gate (In and Out), Erik Seifert (Aotearoa), Cialyn (Off Season), FUS. (Physical Feeling), Assembled Minds (The Restless Field), and Mythos (Jules Vernes. Around the World in 80 Minutes).

Where was I? Oh, yes, in midth of the interview with Bernd Scholl. As promised, tonight you will get the second part of questions answered by the head of MellowJet Records. Which reminds me of the question, I forgot to ask: What "MellowJet" means. So, I can only guess it could be a "gentle, but forceful breeze", whatever that could be. Hm, at least, most of their music is very "mellowdic" (Sorry for that one). Ok, so what will you get in part 2? More about what it needs to have your music released with the label, and what to expect from Bernd in that matter. And, of course, more of the fantastic artists and music being released on MellowJet, this time with tracks by Erez Yaary (EMC 9), Visible Breath (Tropospheric), future_former (Electronic Music for Life), BatteryDead (EMC 9), and moonbooter (Schwarzmond) himself.

There aren't that many labels in electronic music having constant high quality output over the years. One of them is the German label MellowJet Records, run by a fantastic musician himself, Bernd Scholl. This year they are celebrating their 10th anniversary, and to me it feels like it was yesterday when I discovered the very young and fresh distributor from the Eifel. MellowJet provided many joyful hours to me, and surely to many of you, too. And it is a great occasion to have some questions ready and asked to the head of the label. Exactly. Tonight I have for you the first of a two part special on MellowJet Records featuring an interview with Bernd Scholl. And, of oourse, lots of music of the label, which tonight is by moonbooter (Under Control), Harald Grosskopf (Synthesist 2010), and Uwe Reckzeh, Wellenfeld as well as Magic Dimension (Electronic Music Compilation 9).

About

syndae is an independent podcast on electronic music of ambient, space, new age, harmonic, traditional, progressive, and rhythmic style, not directly including electronic dance music. The goal of syndae is to make aware of fine electronic music, by providing enjoyable episodes with well known and not yet well known artists from around the world, and to promote events of the electronic music scene, by dedicating episodes to selected artists of such an event. Host of the show is Stefan, an enthusiast of electronic music, who likes to spread the word and sound of synth.